Any feedback on these tires?

[bironi]

I am curious if anyone has tried the Michelin Pro Grip tires. They claim to hold wet surfaces better. I now see them on closeout at a much lower price. I ride a good part of the year on wet roads.

Thanks,
Byron

[Ray]

I am curious if anyone has tried the Michelin Pro Grip tires. They claim to hold wet surfaces better. I now see them on closeout at a much lower price. I ride a good part of the year on wet roads.

Thanks,
Byron
I find that Michelin carbons are better than Pro Race in wet, sloppy conditions. But they're not quite as nice a tire in other ways - not as light, supple, or grippy on dry roads. I think the Pro Grip was a try to get the wet performance of the carbons in a higher end tire. I'd try a set but they only seem to come in one really butt-ugly color.

-Ray

[Bruce]

If Michelin is selling a tire that says it grips better in wet, then you have to ask better than what. Generally manufacturers will compare their products only to their other products. So we can assume they grip better than other Michelin tires.

I have not ridden the Pro Grip tires. I have ridden other Michelins and the Carbons. The Silica based Michelin tires are not worth their value in scrap rubber, because basically they contain very little rubber. What Michelin did in creating these silica based tires is remove carbon black rubber compounds from these tires. As a result, they don't grip at all. I have fallen on these tires in dry conditions when any other tire would have been fine. I have had my rear wheel slip on a climb on damp roads with these silica tires. In short, they don't grip! Don't use them.

The Carbon Michelins are better, but they don't corner as well as other tires on the market. Therefore, don't buy or use any Michelin bicycle tire products. Michelin car tires are fine. I have nothing against Michelin and rode their tires exclusively for years, but the silica line of tires are complete garbage.

Just a note about tires: What makes a tire grip is something called carbon black. This substance is in all black tires. Other colored tires can not have carbon black in them, as it completely dominates other colors. In order to make colored tires, the manufacturer removes carbon black. This of course reduces or eliminates grip from the tire. Michelin substitutes silica for carbon black and reduces the grip.

If carbon black were not needed in tires, then automobile tires would come in other colors, but they don't, so therefor you need carbon black in a tire. Don't buy non-black tires. It is not worth the risk of going down.

If you want a good tire that grips in wet, check out the excellent line made by Vredestein. Highly recommended. Just don't buy colored ones!

[Ray]

I have not ridden the Pro Grip tires. I have ridden other Michelins and the Carbons. The Silica based Michelin tires are not worth their value in scrap rubber, because basically they contain very little rubber. What Michelin did in creating these silica based tires is remove carbon black rubber compounds from these tires. As a result, they don't grip at all. I have fallen on these tires in dry conditions when any other tire would have been fine. I have had my rear wheel slip on a climb on damp roads with these silica tires. In short, they don't grip! Don't use them.
Then again, YMMV. Mine has. Michelin sliica based tires have been great for me - I ride them almost exclusively. Roll well, grip great in the dry, and generally grip well enough for my reduced cornering enthusiasm in the wet. Nice round cross-section too so the transition leaning into corners is smooth and seamless, unlike some other more oval shaped tires where you feel like you're diving off a cliff.

-Ray